Universal pan and pot lid holder

ABSTRACT

A universal pot and pan lid holder in the form of an open-top cylindrical body having at least one portion of its cylindrical side wall removable for access to the interior of the body from its side. The diameter of the cylindrical body should be smaller than the diameter of the lids to be supported. The removable portion has on its outer surface radial outward projections. For use as a lid support, the holder is placed onto the table or counter top with its open side up, the removable portion is removed from the cylindrical body and is placed onto the table or counter top, using the aforementioned radial projections as supports for the removed portion. When necessary, the hot or fatty pot or pan lid is placed during cooking onto the open top side of the cylindrical body with the internal (pot or pan covering) side of the lid facing up. Since the internal side of the lid faces up, dripping from the lid to the support surface is completely prevented. The cylindrical side wall may have two removable portions. The second removable portion may be located diametrically opposite to the first one and may have a flat pad on the outer side of the removable portion. When removed and placed onto the table or counter top with its flat pad up, this second removable portion may be used as a support for a a kettle, pan, pot, or the like. The perforations in the bottom of the holder make it possible to use it as a strainer for washing such foods products as fruits, vegetable, berries, rice, etc.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a pan and pot lid holder, inparticular to a pan and pot lid holder, which is universal in use andfulfills many additional functions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] When cooking with a pot or pan, a user must periodically removethe lid to stir the items therein or to add additional ingredientsthereto. The lid is typically very hot and often has splattered food andcondensation thereon. A hot lid can cause permanent damage to a countertop, a table or similar support surface if placed thereon. Even if thelid is not extremely hot, condensation and food residue will drip ontothe counter top which is messy and inconvenient. Accordingly, there is aneed for a device which allows a user to temporarily secure a hot ordirty pan lid eliminating the undesirable practice of placing it on acounter top.

[0003] Many pan and pot lid holders have been developed to hold a lidwhen it is either raised and is held on the appliance in an applianceopen position or removed from the kitchen appliance and is placed onto atemporary support for use during cooking or onto a holder for long-termstorage.

[0004] For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application (Kokai)H7-255598 published on Oct. 9, 1995 (Inventor Narita) describes a panlid holder which is integrally attached at an angle to the edge of thepan so that it extends radially outwardly. The holder has a longitudinalslot for insertion of a narrowed portion of the knob attached to the topof the pan lid. A disadvantage of this device is that, when the lid isplaced onto the holder during cooking activity, the lid limits freedomof movement for the user. The holder of this type can be used only withthe pan lid with a handle of a knob type and is not applicable for anyother purposes.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,616 issued to Jack Carney on Jul. 7,1992describes a pot lid and utensil holder for holding pot lids and/orcooking utensils. The device includes a first generally planar componentwith separate notches, apertures, ledges or the like for supporting potlids or cooking utensils. A second generally planar component is mountedto the first planar component to support this component and toselectively receive cooking utensils supported by the first planarcomponent, as well as retain any drippings from the utensils.

[0006] Although the applicant of the aforementioned patent states thatthe device of his invention retains any dripping, it can be seen fromFIG. 5 of the aforementioned patent that the position of the pan or potlid on the holder of U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,616 does not prevent drippingto the cooking top or counter top. Furthermore, the device is unstable,especially when supports heavy lids. It is not sufficiently universaland can support only pot or pan lids and some kitchen utensils such asspoons or knifes.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,673 issued in November of 1999 to P. Dooleydescribes a magnetic cooking utensil holder which allows a user totemporarily secure hot pan lids while cooking eliminating theundesirable practice of placing the hot and sometimes soiled lids on acounter top. The device includes a horizontal tubular magnet having aplurality of support legs pivotally attached thereto, which expand toform a tripod type support structure. A drip tray for collectingcondensate or food residue adhering to the lid is removably attached toa pair of opposing support legs. A pair of opposing side arms eachextending from an end of the magnet have a plurality of verticallyaligned magnetic strips thereon for receiving additional cookingutensils such as knives, forks and spoons. Accordingly, whenever a userremoves a lid to add ingredients or to stir the food within a pot orpan, the edge of the pan is placed within a drip tray with an opposingportion magnetically secured to the magnetic bar. The tripod typesupport structure allows the lid to be obliquely suspended with respectto the counter top so that any condensation or food residue adhering tothe lid will easily drain into the drip tray.

[0008] A main disadvantage of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,673 isthat its use is limited to holding only ferromagnetic items. Supportingof non-ferromagnetic items will be either impossible or would notprovide stability of the supported items. The second disadvantage isthat the residue drips from the lids to the tray, which has to beconstantly cleaned from fatty substance. The third disadvantage is thatthe device is capable of supporting lids of a certain diameter. There isno support for lids of a small diameter and no stability for lids of alarge diameter. Nothing prevents dripping from the items supportedvertically on the side of the device to the counter top.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a pot and panlid holder which is universal in its use, simple in construction,ensures stable support of pan and pot lids, prevents dripping from thelid to the cook or counter top, can be easily disassembled into partsconvenient for storage and usable as additional supports for spoons,knifes, forks, kettles, pans, pots, napkins, etc., and ensuresconvenient access to handles of supported lids.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Provided is a universal pot and pan lid holder in the form of anopen-top cylindrical body having at least one portion of its cylindricalside wall removable for access to the interior of the body from itsside. The diameter of the cylindrical body should be smaller than thediameter of the lids to be supported. The removable portion has on itsouter surface radial outward projections. For use as a lid support, theholder is placed onto the table or counter top with its open side up,the removable portion is removed from the cylindrical body and is placedonto the table or counter top, using the aforementioned radialprojections as supports for the removed portion. When necessary, the hotor fatty pot or pan lid is placed during cooking onto the open top sideof the cylindrical body with the internal (pot or pan covering) side ofthe lid facing up. Since the internal side of the lid faces up, drippingfrom the lid to the support surface is completely prevented. Thecylindrical side wall may have two removable portions. The secondremovable portion may be located diametrically opposite to the first oneand may have a flat pad on the outer side of the removable portion. Whenremoved and placed onto the table or counter top with its flat pad up,this second removable portion may be used as a support for a kettle,pan, pot, or the like. The perforations in the bottom of the holder makeit possible to use it as a strainer for washing such foods products asfruits, vegetable, berries, rice, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a general three-dimensional view of a universal pan andpot lid holder of the invention in an assembled state.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the holder of the inventionwith one segment removed and a pan lid supported by the holder.

[0013]FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of a removable segment withradial extensions as supporting legs.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a removable segment with aflat supporting portion.

[0015]FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view of a removable segment of FIG.4 in a position with its flat side facing up for supporting kettles,pans, pots, etc.

[0016]FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a pan and pot lidholder made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention,according to which the main portion of the holder can be furtherdisassembled, so that the holder may consist of many separate parts.

[0017]FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of a pan and pot lid holderthat consists only of two relatively moveable overlappedsemi-cylindrical segments.

[0018]FIG. 8 is a top view of the holder 92 in the direction of arrow Ain FIG. 7, the segments having slots cut in their side walls.

[0019]FIG. 9 is a fragmental vertical sectional view along line IX-IX ofFIG. 8.

[0020]FIG. 10 is a view of the holder with segments overlapped to amaximum condition by moving the handles towards each other forsupporting knives, spoons, forks, napkins, etc.

[0021]FIG. 11 is a view of the holder of FIG. 8 with means for guideslots for supporting an additional removable segment.

[0022]FIG. 12 illustrates a fragmental view of the holder provided witha rotatable perforated disk for opening and closing perforations of thestrainer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] A general three-dimensional view of a universal pan and pot lidholder of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen from thisdrawing, the holder, which in general is designated by reference numeral10, has a cylindrical housing 12 with an open top 14 and a closed bottomportion 16. The housing has a composite structure and consists of themain portion 18 and removable segments 20 and 22 located preferably, butnot necessarily, approximately opposite each other. In an assembledstate the main portion 18 and the removable segments 20 and 22 form acomplete cylindrical body. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the mainportion 18 is made integrally with the bottom portion 16. The bottomportion may have perforation 24 for use of the holder 10 in an assembledstate as a strainer.

[0024] In the areas of connection with the edges 26, 28 and 30, 32 ofthe removable segments 20 and 22, the edges on the segments of the mainportion 18 may have respective thickened lugs 34, 36 and 38, 40 withrespective vertical guide slots 42, 44 and 46, 48 for slidinglyinserting the edges of the removable segments 20 and 22 and for holdingthem in place when the holder is assembled to the condition shown inFIG. 1.

[0025] At least one of the removable segments, e.g., segment 20, shouldhave a width exceeding the width of the fist of a human hand. Thediameter of the top opening 14 of holder 10 should be smaller than thediameters of the pan or pot lids (not shown in FIG. 1), which has to besupported by the holder. As shown in FIG. 1, the removable segment 20may have on its outer surface two radial outward projections 50 and 52,while the removable segment 22 may have a plate-like pad 54 attached,e.g., glued or fused to the outer surface of this segment, or moldedintegrally therewith. In use, the assembled pan and pot lid holder 10 ofthe invention may be utilized as a container for retaining some foodproducts such as fruits or vegetable. If necessary, the holder can beused as a strainer for washing fruits or other products contained in theholder. This is possible due to the provision of the perforations 24.

[0026] When the holder 10 is disassembled, as shown in FIG. 2, i.e.,when at least one of the removable segments, e.g., the segment 20, isremoved, a relatively wide vertical window 56, which extends from thebottom portion 16 to the top 14 (FIG. 1) is formed. When it isnecessary, during cooking, to temporary open the pan or pot and removethe lid 58, the latter can be conveniently placed onto the top of thecylindrical main portion 18 with the edges of the lid resting on theupper edges of the main portion 16 and with the handle 60 of the lid 58facing down. The placement of the lid, which may be hot or coated withfatty liquid, is done by inserting the hand, in which the lid is held,into the window 56, while holding the lid above the upper edge of themain portion 18, and then slowly descending the hand until the lid restsonto the upper edges of the main portion 18. Since the wet or soiledsurface of the lid faces up, no dripping is possible.

[0027] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a three-dimensional viewof the removable segment 20, the removed segment 20 can be placed ontothe counter top or a table with the use of the projections 50 and 52 assupports, so that the inner cylindrical surface 62 of the segment can beused for supporting forks, spoons, knives, or the like. Similarly, asshown in FIG. 4, which is a three-dimensional view of the removablesegment 22, the same function as described above, can be fulfilled bythe removable segment 22, when it is supported by its plate-like pad 54.Alternatively, the removable segment 22 can be placed onto the kitchentop or a counter with its plate-like pad 54 up, so that it will besupported by the cylindrical portion 64, while the pad 54 can be usedfor supporting a pan or a kettle 66, which is shown, e.g., in FIG. 5.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a pan and pot lidholder made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention,according to which the main portion of the holder can be furtherdisassembled, so that the holder may consist of several, e.g., fiveseparate parts, i.e., a support 68 with a circular slot 70, a firstcylindrical segment 72, a second cylindrical segment 74, a thirdcylindrical segment 76, and a fourth cylindrical segment 78. Thesegments are insertable into the circular slot 70 so that they can slidein this slot for forming the access window, such as window 56 of FIG. 2,of any required width. At the same time, the slot 70 should be deepenough to ensure stability of the segments in an inserted state. Forexample, the depth of the slot 70 may be within the range of 0.1 to 0.3of the height of the segments.

[0029] The segments may have radial outward projections, such asprojections 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90 on respective segments shown in FIG.6.

[0030] Still another embodiment is shown in FIG. 7, which is athree-dimensional view of a pan and pot lid holder 92 that consists onlyof two relatively moveable overlapped semi-cylindrical segments 94 and96. As shown in FIG. 8, which is a top view of the holder 92 in thedirection of arrow A in FIG. 7, the segments 94 and 96 have throughslots 98 and 100 cut in their side walls. FIG. 9 is a fragmentalvertical sectional view along line IX-IX of FIG. 8. As can be seen fromFIGS. 8 and 9, the through slots are overlapped and are aligned witheach other. A radial outward handle 102 is rigidly attached to thesemi-cylindrical segment 94. The handle 102 has a narrow neck portion104 that passes through both slots 98 and 100. The external part 106 ofthe handle 102 is wider that the slots 98 and 100. Similarly, a radialoutward handle 108 is rigidly attached to the semi-cylindrical segment96. The handle 108 has a narrow neck portion 110 that passes through theslots 98 and 100. The external part 112 of the handle 108 is wider thatthe neck portion 110. As a result, the segments 94 and 96 can slide overeach other in circular direction while remain interconnected in a radialdirection. This allows adjustment of a circular angular dimension of theholder 92 in a plane of FIG. 8.

[0031] The holder 92 can be inserted into the circular slot 70 of thesupport 68 shown in FIG. 6. In this case the width of the circular slot70 should be slightly wider than the thickness of both overlapped wallsof the segments 94 and 96 to ensure sliding fit of these segments in theslot 70. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, when the holder 92 isextended in an anglular direction to an angle sufficient to ensurestability for its use without the guide slot 70 of FIG. 6, the holder 92can be used as an independent item for supporting pan and pot lidswithout the use of the support 68.

[0032] If the segments are overlapped to a maximum condition by movingthe handles towards each other and the holder stands vertically, it canfulfill its main function of a pan and pot lid holder. If necessary, theholder be placed onto its handles 106 and 108 and installed in ahorizontal position for supporting knives, spoons, forks, etc., or asshown in FIG. 10, for supporting napkins.

[0033]FIG. 11 illustrates still another embodiment, which is used forimproving versatility of the device shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. Since thelast-mentioned device consists essentially of two parts and does nothave additional functions inherent in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6,it is suggested to provide the adjustable pan and pot lid holder 92 ofFIGS. 7-10 with a removable support 114. This support consists of aplate 116 with legs 118,120 and side walls 122,124. The ends of the sidewalls 122,124 are slightly bent outward and are used for insertion intoguide slots 126,128 formed in the corners of handles 106,108 of theholder 92.

[0034] In use, the pan and pot lid holder 92 is utilized as describedearlier with reference to FIGS. 7-10, and the removable support 114 isutilized as devices shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

[0035]FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, which isa modification of the device shown in FIGS. 1-6 and differs from it by aprovision of a rotatable perforated disk 130. This disk is rotated on anaxle 132 and has perforations 134 a, 134 b . . . . 134 n, which arealigned with respective perforations 136 a, 136 b, . . . 136 n formed inthe bottom portion 138 of the pan and pot lid holder 140. The holder 140is in general the same as that shown in the previous embodiments. Whenit is necessary to use the interior of the holder 140 for holdingfruits, vegetables, rice, or the like, the disk 130 is rotated to aposition in which the perforations 136 a, 136 b, . . . 136 n of thebottom portions 138 are closed by non-perforated areas of the disk, andwhen it is necessary to use the holder 140 as a strainer, the disk 130is rotated to the position, in which perforations of the disk arealigned with perforations of the bottom portion 138.

[0036] Furthermore, the removable segments, such as segments 72, 74, 76,78 shown in FIG. 6, can be attached to the bottom portion 138 in amanner shown in FIG. 12. In this drawing the removable segment isdesignated by reference numeral 140. The bottom portion 138 has acircular slot 142, while the lower edge of the segment 140 has aprojection 144 having a length equal to or slightly shorter than thelength of the slot 142 and a U-shaped slot 146 having a width equal toor slightly wider than the thickness of the bottom portion 138.

[0037] For attachment of the segment 140 to the bottom portion 138 ofthe holder, the projection 144 is inserted into the circular slot 142 ofthe bottom portion 138 to a position, in which the slot 146 is alignedwith the bottom portion 138. The segment is then moved radially inwardlyso that the adjacent part of the bottom portion 138 is inserted into theslot 146 of the projection 144. In other words, the projection 144 andthe slot 142 form a kind of a bayonet connection.

[0038] Thus, it has been shown that the invention provides a pot and panlid holder which is universal in its use, ensures stable support of panand pot lids, simple in construction, prevents dripping from the lid tothe cook or counter top, can be easily disassembled into partsconvenient for storage and usable as additional supports for spoons,knifes, forks, kettles, pans, pots, etc., and ensure convenient accessto handles of supported lids.

[0039] Although the invention has been shown and described withreference to specific embodiments, it is understood that theseembodiments do not limit the application of the invention and that anychanges and modifications are possible, provided they do not depart fromthe scope of the patent claims. For example, such parts of the segmentsas radial projections 50, 52, pad 54, etc., can be integrally molded,glued, or mechanically connected to the segments.

[0040] The number of removable segments shown in the embodiment of FIG.6 may be different that shown in this drawing. The segments can be madefrom different materials such as metal or heat-resistant glass orplastic. The holder housing may have a cross-section different fromcircular.

1. A universal pan and pot lid holder comprising at least a firstmember, a second member, said first member and said second member havingmeans for moveably connecting said first member and said second memberto each other, at least one of said first and said second members havingmeans for imparting an additional function to said universal pan and potlid holder, said holder having at least one open end and a side wallwith an opening for access to the interior of said holder through saidopening.
 2. The holder of claim 1, wherein said first member and saidsecond member each comprises a cylindrical segment which is a part of acylindrical body having a cylindrical surface, an upper edge, and alower edge, said first and said second cylindrical segments each havinga through slot, said through slots of said first cylindrical segment andof said second cylindrical segment being aligned with each other, saidfirst cylindrical segment having a first radial outward projection whichprojects outside said holder through said through slot of said secondcylindrical segment, while said second cylindrical segment having asecond radial outward projection which projects outside said holderthrough said through slot of said first cylindrical segment, at leastone of said cylindrical segment having means for preventingdisconnection of said segments in a radial direction, so that said firstand second cylindrical segments are moveable with respect to each otherin a circular direction but prevented from movement with respect to eachother in the radial direction.
 3. The holder of claim 2, furtherprovided with a cylindrical support which has a circular slot into whichsaid holder can be inserted with said lower edges of said cylindricalsegments, so that said open end being located on the side opposite tosaid cylindrical support, said circular slot serving for guiding saidedges when said first and said second cylindrical segments are moved inthe circumferential direction with respect to each other.
 4. The holderof claim 1, wherein said first member is a cylindrical housing which hasmeans for removably connecting said second member to form an assembledstate, said second member being a first cylindrical segment having anouter surface and an inner cylindrical surface, in said assembled statesaid cylindrical housing and said first cylindrical segment forming acomplete cylindrical body, said means for imparting an additionalfunction comprising radial outward projections formed on said outer sideof said first cylindrical segment, so that said radial outwardprojections can be used as supports for said first cylindrical segmentwith said inner cylindrical surface facing up for use as a support forvarious items.
 5. The holder of claim 4, said cylindrical housing has,on its side substantially opposite to said first cylindrical segment,means for removably connecting a second cylindrical segment having aninner side and an outer side with second means that impart to saidholder an additional function.
 6. The holder of claim 4, wherein saidfirst cylindrical segment and said second cylindrical segment have sideedges, said means for removably connecting said first cylindricalsegment and said means for removably connecting said second cylindricalmember comprising longitudinal slots formed on side edges of saidcylindrical housing, said side edges of said first and secondcylindrical segments being slidingly inserted into said longitudinalslots.
 7. The holder of claim 6, wherein said means on said secondcylindrical segment that impart to said holder an additional functioncomprises a flat pad, so that when said second cylindrical segment isremoved from said cylindrical housing and is placed with said flat padup, said flat pad can be used as a support member for various items. 8.The holder of claim 4, wherein said cylindrical housing is furtherprovided with a closed bottom portion on the side opposite to said openend, so that in said assembled state said holder forms a container. 9.The holder of claim 8, wherein said closed bottom portion hasperforations for using said container as a strainer.
 10. The holder ofclaim 9, further provided with a disk which has perforations andnon-perforated portions, said disk being rotatingly attached to saidclosed bottom portion so that, by rotating said disk, it is possible toalign said perforations of the disk with said perforations of saidclosed bottom, or to close said perforations of the bottom portions bysaid non-perforated portions.
 11. The holder of claim 1, furtherprovided with a closed bottom portion on the side opposite to said openend, so that in said assembled state said holder forms a container. 12.The holder of claim 11, wherein said first member and said second membereach has a radial projection with a slot and wherein said closed bottomportion has a circular slot into which said projection is inserted to aposition in which said slot of said projection is aligned with saidbottom portion so that by moving said first and second portions in acircumferential direction said first and second portion are secured tosaid bottom portion.
 13. The holder of claim 12, wherein said closedbottom portion has perforations for using said container as a strainer.14. The holder of claim 13, further provided with a disk which hasperforations and non-perforated portions, said disk being rotatinglyattached to said closed bottom portion so that, by rotating said disk,it is possible to align said perforations of the disk with saidperforations of said closed bottom, or to close said perforations of thebottom portions by said non-perforated portions.